A.J.C. to Continue Services Despite Withdrawal from N.c.r.a.c.

October 3, 1952

PHILADELPHIA (Oct. 2)

The American Jewish Committee will continue to serve the Jewish communities of the United States and will work together with all other national organizations in areas of mutual agreement despite the Committee’s withdrawal from the National Community Relations Advisory Council, Ben Herzberg, vice-president, told the Committee’s Philadelphia Chapter tonight.

“There will be no gap in the service which the many departments of the American Jewish Committee render the Jewish community of the United States,” Mr. Herzberg declared. “Although we officially withdraw from N.C.R.A.C. on September 22, we are continuing to work closely with the various community relations councils and servicing their needs.”

Referring to the withdrawal from the N.C.R.A.C., Mr. Herzberg said that “we made every effort to compromise but our proposals, presented jointly with the Anti-Defamation League, were sidetracked and ignored. The so-called compromise which was finally adopted and to which we strenuously objected, was no compromise at all because it continued to advance the same propositions for centralizing authority which we had been steadfastly rejecting.” The A.J.C. -A.D.L. plan, which would have protected the autonomy and voluntary character of these agencies, was not even considered by the delegates, Mr. Herzberg said.